


Unnecessary Distractions

by AmethystAuthoress



Category: Beetlejuice (1988), Beetlejuice - All Media Types, Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Heavy Angst, Infidelity, Post-Sexy Times, brief mention of her mother's suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:35:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23690038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmethystAuthoress/pseuds/AmethystAuthoress
Summary: "They had lots of fun over the past year. Every time she got home from college, he was waiting for her. He would sit in her room like an obedient puppy, awaiting her signal that he could talk or touch her.He was a good distraction.He wasn't needed anymore."Set in an AU where Lydia's mother didn't take her own life until years after Charles had divorced her and married Delia, leading to Lydia and Beetlejuice not meeting until she was a student in college. Her relationship with the ghost is primarily physical, but things have changed...
Relationships: Beetlejuice & Lydia Deetz, Beetlejuice/Lydia Deetz, Lydia Deetz/Original Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	Unnecessary Distractions

Lydia stared at her bedroom ceiling, once again overwhelmed yet empty. She should get up and shower, but the thick arm held her in place. At least she didn't have to worry about morning-after pills.  
She wondered if her issues with relationships came from her father's affair. She hated him for years for leaving her depressed mother to get with that hippie woman. She refused to even talk to him for a long time, moving in with her mother. That led to a terrible childhood as well.  
She was the one who found her mother's body.  
It was too late for paramedics. Lydia wasn't forced back with her dad, since she had recently turned eighteen, but she did have the option to go back. At the end of the day, it was easier than having to pay rent. At least for university breaks.  
The body next to her gripped her harder, bringing Lydia back to her thoughts. She swept her fingers through his hair a few times, and he quieted down. He always had nightmares at first. She never asked what they were about.  
Lydia met Beetlejuice during her junior year of college, while back for spring break. Delia and Charles went on a trip. Lydia was left at home, preferring to work on her graveyard etchings and photography for a project rather than get drunk on a beach somewhere.  
She thought she had seen the man a few times frequenting the cemetery. She nearly bashed his head in when she found him watching her as she slept.  
He told her he was a ghost and the son of a demon. That she was the first human to ever see him. That he just wanted a friend.  
Lydia wanted a friend of a different kind.  
When she was on top of him, she felt in control for the first time in her life. She could illicit whatever reaction she wanted from him. She could see the praise in his eyes whenever he looked at her. She could see his raw vulnerability when she pressed her hand against his throat, or raked her nails across his torso.  
It wasn't like she could ever actually hurt him. He was already dead.  
They had lots of fun over the past year. Every time she got home from college, he was waiting for her. He would sit in her room like an obedient puppy, awaiting her signal that he could talk or touch her.  
He was a good distraction.  
He wasn't needed anymore.  
"Hi babes. Good morning, 'innit?" He rumbled, moving even closer to the warmth of her body. She hadn't let him remove her dress this time. It felt wrong.  
"Yes, it is."  
"So, what do you wanna do?"  
He was smirking. The sharp teeth glimmered in the rays of sunshine that shone into the room. It was curious how he still worked up a sweat and would hold that flushed, tired appearance, despite not being living.  
His eyes looked so excited and hopeful. She often brushed him off and today wasn’t going to be a deviation from that trend, despite his misunderstanding of her above-average enthusiasm during the activities that had taken place on her bed.  
"I can't spend time with you today. I'm meeting my fiancé at the station."  
Lydia shoved his arm off of herself and quickly moved to assess the damage on her person. She should shower, regardless of whether it was a technical need or not. She had to wash the previous night away before fixing her makeup. Thomas was expecting her to come dressed more formally.  
There was silence from her bed and she hoped that the ghost had simply left, tail between his legs, but he was still there when she turned back around. He didn't even bother hiding his nudity, as he stared at her dumbly, pale green-grey limbs splayed out on the bed.  
"Fiancé…?"  
"Yes, Thomas. I've mentioned him before."  
"Was he the coffee guy?"  
Lydia nodded, noncommittally. She'd have to track Delia's sapphire earrings. Thomas loved blue on her. It could be a form of apology for the actions she’d never admit to him.  
"When did you get engaged? I never heard Charles or Delia discuss it."  
"Last month."  
"When were you going to tell me?"  
His voice cracked at the end of that sentence and something inside Lydia's heart did too. This was idiotic. She shouldn't care.  
"I just did."  
Beetlejuice was a dalliance. A distraction. She had enough death and depression in her life. She was haunted enough by her past. She needed to move forward instead. That couldn’t be achieved with a man (if he could even be called that) who was dead, regardless of her feelings.  
Lydia made the mistake of looking at him in the reflection of her mirror. He looked devastated.  
"What about us?"  
She could do this.  
"Us?" She laughed humorlessly, "There is no 'us'. You're a ghost, BJ. It's not like we could ever have any real future. You could never knock me up or get a job to provide for me - nor would you ever desire to. No one aside from me even knows that you exist."  
"Then why have we been…?"  
"Because you were desperate and I needed something to help me feel alive."  
She was removing her dress when suddenly his hands replaced her own, ripping at the laces instead of loosening them.  
His mouth was cold against her ear. Not hot like a human should be. His voice was a harsh rumble, as the stubble on his face scratched against her neck.  
"He won't make you feel that way, Lyds. Face it - only a dead guy can make you feel alive."  
The sad thing was that he was right. Lydia had never felt any of the passion she felt with Beetlejuice towards her fiance. Thomas was a good man though. A stable choice. He was an honors student, adored by his little sister and parents, attended mass every holiday, dressed conservatively, and actually managed to fit in with her quirky arts friends despite that. He was studying to be a pharmacist, wanted two children, and loved taking her to new photography exhibits. He even agreed to couples Halloween costumes. She could live a good life with him.  
Beetlejuice wouldn’t want any of that with her, even if he was capable of providing it.  
Which is why she turned her head and bit his lip. Hard.  
"You're pathetic. You'll find someone else and give in to your little pain kink - it's not me you want."  
She tried to walk out of the room. Her hands were above her head in an instant, Beetlejuice having trapped her body between him and the door frame. Some alarm went off in the back of Lydia’s mind that Delia could be home any minute, and she had a random naked man in the hallway, before she remembered that her step-mother wouldn’t see the ghost anyways.  
“You know that isn’t true.”  
His eyes were hard, yet desperate. Anger and longing slurred in them in such a way that made her breath quicken. She wasn’t sure if she was scared, aroused, or just exhausted.  
“Why him?” Beetlejuice questioned, loosening his grip some on her arms.  
“He’s my boyfriend.”  
“Why?” BJ repeated, “Why did you never ask that of me? Why him?”  
He had completely released her arms now, moving to touch her face gently with one hand while the other gripped hard on her hip. She fought the urge to shove his arms off of her.  
“Thomas is human,” She said, “He is human and good and he wants a future with me. I want a life, BJ. Things can’t just stay the way that they are forever, with me visiting my parents and banging you while they’re out. I want to travel, get married, have kids, have my own life somewhere…”  
There was silence for a moment, before Beetlejuice slowly backed up. He didn’t look at her at all as he picked up his clothing and seemed to magic them back on his body. Lydia was glad that he was seeming to accept her decision, even as she felt her heart shrink a little as she watched him dress. This would be the last time.  
The goth woman shook the thought away and went to fix her dress once more and grab her bag. Beetlejuice interrupted as she was making sure she still had her keys in the purse.  
“What if I could?”  
He was standing there, fully dressed yet somehow looking more vulnerable than before. His hand was in his hair, the green waves being the one part of him that still was messy. That fact seemed to occur to him, as he quickly licked his other hand in order to use it to smooth the locks back.  
“What if you could do what?” Lydia asked, confused.  
“What if I could give you all of those things?”  
Lydia had begun to shake her head, unsure of whether to laugh or slap him. She knew he couldn’t. Beetlejuice wasn’t done though. He paced the room as he listed off points.  
“I told you that I’d become alive again if anyone were to marry me...”  
“You also told me that you had never seen it actually done and weren’t sure what state your body would be in.  
“...and saying my name three times would allow me to go anywhere with you regardless! We could go wherever you wanted, plus anyone could see me. I’m sure I could get a job if I really wanted to.”  
“With no degree?”  
“I could get one of those too.”  
“And what about children?”  
“We’ll adopt!”  
The last statement was made with a grin and arms spread out.  
Lydia’s heart was beating hard in her chest, as her phone buzzed in her bag. She still needed to meet Thomas at the station. She needed her fiance, not this strange man who was suddenly stating that none of her reasons for staying away from him were actual problems…  
“Lyds,” Beetlejuice’s voice had softened as he moved closer, “I want a life with you. I know that I’m just some dead pervert who definitely didn’t even deserve to meet a doll like you, but I want that regardless. Don’t think for a second that I wouldn’t leap at the opportunity to marry you or have some of our own little guys. I would do anything to have a family.”  
Lydia couldn’t move away as Beetlejuice cupped her cheeks and kissed her deeply. She didn’t return the kiss either though. He drew back enough to let out a sigh against her face, breathing hard despite not actually requiring any air to fill his lungs.  
“Could that be enough for you? Could you stay with me?”  
The last question was accompanied by a whimper and Lydia’s phone was vibrating yet again.  
It was too much.  
It was not enough.  
Her head and heart both hurt. She couldn’t process this yet. Not now.  
“I’m sorry,” She whispered, “I can’t...I can’t do this right now.”  
This time she actually left the room, leaving Beetlejuice crumpled but making no move to stop her. 


End file.
